3" Springs / Softest Ride Quality?

I'm planning on installing a 3" lift on my daily driver XJ. I want to preserve the ride quality as much as possible. In addition, I want to use 3" lift springs without spacers, and full packs with stock shackles.

I had planned on getting an RE 3.5" system with Old Man Emu shocks, but I'm probably not doing this until Spring 2004, so I still have time to make a decisioin.

What do you guys think?

What are my options?

I don't know about the spring rate on the RE springs, but almost everybody that runs them reports that they get much more than 3.5" with the springs in the rear and have to add spacers up front to balance out the lift. The extra height can be good or bad depending on what you want. I run a Skyjacker 3" lift that netted 3.5" in the front and 3" in the rear, and then I added a shackle to the rear that I had cut down to just a little longer than stock so that overall I have 3.5" all the way around. The springs are a little stiff, but overall not bad. I have heard that TeraFlex front springs work good, and you can even run TeraFlex front TJ springs on the XJ to get an even softer rate.

Hmm - good points. Thanks for your feedback.

I know Skyjacker provides exactly the stance I'm looking for, but I wish their hardware wasn't red. Regardless, red wouldn't look that bad on a white 96 Sport, so maybe I'll go with Skyjacker.